Nelly Furtado

Before she was a "Maneater," Nelly Furtado was "Like a Bird," crafting a funky, folk-hop debut full of the sort of wholesome urban hipness only Canada can generate. Now, we like the "Promiscuous" Nelly as much as the one who didn't wanna be your "Baby Girl." This is just a very different album. There are some constants, however: she's always had to battle accusations of selling out (see "On the Radio"). Also, the girl has apparently always been convinced that the voice is produced by the nose. Hey Nelly, how about some more of those nice, open tones you used in the intro to "Scared of You"?

This debut comes from a twenty-one-year-old first-generation Canadian whose restless
ears never stray too far from her Portuguese roots. Whoa, Nelly! is spastic like high-impact
hip-hop, melodically durable like big-time pop and soulfully, intelligently, sensuously
international. It jumps on Portuguese and Brazilian styles not as exotic refinements but as
cool ways to express yourself in everyday tunes. "Turn Off the Light" is a reggae-... More >